My first memory of bèbèdí dates back to my 100-level days at the university. As a freshman, I was fascinated by everything that happened in my residence hall. What I found really fascinating was ladies walking to the bathrooms wearing nothing but waist beads. They were so full of confidence in themselves and their colourful beads. It was not long before I joined in their bathroom parades. A woman used to come to advertise waist beads in different sizes and colours in the hostel. I bought some pieces from her and went home for the holidays.

When my mom saw my waist beads, she accused me of being a bad daughter and doing something God detested. She called my dad, who said I had joined a cult at school. They prodded me about where I got my beads, saying it was a devilish sign. My mother threatened to break the beads if I didn’t remove them immediately. I was never to wear them again.

What history informs

The earliest history of waist beads goes back to Ancient Egypt. Even today, there are paintings of Egyptian dancers wearing waist beads on the walls of tombs and pyramids. They have historically been worn in several countries in Africa. In the olden days, they represented specific values in many African cultures. For instance, the Krobo’s in Ghana have their beads and colours for puberty rites. In West Africa, waist beads were made famous by the Yórùbá tribe of Nigeria. Samuel, a 24-year-old history student and an African culture enthusiast, says, “Waist beads were used symbolically across Africa, but the Yórùbá people made them significantly more popular.”

In the Yórùbá language, waist beads translate to “bèbèdí”, and in the past, they were worn by both men and women. Before becoming actual beads, they were cloth, leather, and even cowries. Wearing cowries around the waist was an easy way to transport money around safely. It was also a status symbol among the rich. Mothers of young girls place beads on their daughters' waists as a sign of maturity. In addition, women used waist beads to hold their menstrual clothes while menstruating. Yórùbá priestesses of Oya also wore waist beads for protection from the gods.

The colonisation of Nigeria by the British came with a demonisation of African culture. Waist beads were an antiquity of African culture, so, it was among the castaways. Evangelisation was rampant, and wearing waist beads meant that you were part of the forgotten tradition. People started seeing them as jùjú. Unsurprisingly, our parents and grandparents grew up with this mentality. They followed the missionary lifestyle and abandoned our authentic culture. I’ve tried several times to tell my parents that their forefathers wore waist beads with ease and about the role beads played in the Yórùbá kingdom. It has been to no avail.

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Femininity and sensuality

Thankfully, the new age of Gen Z has brought back some attitudes, including audacity. We are beginning to see the cracks in evangelisation. We see now that colonisers cast some of our cultures away to crush the African spirit.

It is not shocking that waist beads have progressed from traditional symbols to being seen as objects of pure sexuality. Waist beads have always been beautiful and a sign of femininity and sensuality in women. In a bid to stop women from exploring their feminine side, false rumours came about. Tales like waist beads tying a man down spiritually or women that wear them lack chastity, were some of the lies formulated to control women.

Fortunately, the boldness of young people has continued to bloom. Women in Nigeria still wear and even create businesses from these beads, because apart from the beautification it gives, wearing waist beads means you defy the rules of society. It has become a protest for us, and we’re winning, I think.

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Modern beads

Nowadays, waist beads are worn chiefly by women. It was once believed that a man seeing a woman’s waist beads is the same as seeing her naked body. While African waist beads were made to be worn inside clothing, most women now wear them on the outside. Some do it to defy the rules, and some women do it because they want to.

Blessing, a fashion designer from Ibadan, Nigeria, says she finds waist beads cute, “I just see cute waist beads and buy them, they always look good on my outfits, especially beach outfits.” One thing is certain, what is happening now wouldn’t have happened thirty years ago. Young adults have chosen to be closer to their roots and background by embracing lost African cultures.

Waist beads have become something subjective to every African woman or man that wears them. They are real-life evidence of how much anything can evolve over the years. Mary, a 22-year-old web developer, wears her waist beads with crystals like Tiger's Eye and Rose Quartz. She says the eye signifies abundance, and she wears the beads to attract wealth. “Plus, it helps me to watch my weight,” she adds.

Zara, a freelance writer in Ghana, wears waist beads to remind themselves of personal decisions, “I started wearing waist beads when I decided to have nothing to do with men. The beads remind me of my chastity vow every day.”

When women adorn their waists, it is not to “tie” men down. They are not demonic, but are a symbol of femininity. I hope that one day, African culture is renewed in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, and cultural elements like waist beads are acknowledged back into society. Until then, I will continue to wear my waist beads – away from my parents' eyes.